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THE identity of the new leader of Denbighshire County Council will be decided in two weeks’ time.

Council leader Rhiannon Hughes and her entire cabinet were ousted after a motion of no confidence was passed by the county on Monday.

And now, the battle to find someone willing to take on the leader’s role has begun.

Candidates will have to put their names forward by next Tuesday morning, with the leader appointed a week later.

The shake-up comes after highly-critical reports into the way the county’s education service is being run.

The Estyn report labelled the political leadership of education in Denbighshire “ineffective”, and almost immediately, lead member for lifelong learning Dewi Owens was replaced.

However, a motion of no confidence in Ms Hughes and her nine-name cabinet was lodged two weeks after the reports’ publication.

And, a year after they narrowly escaped a similar vote of no confidence, the most recent one succeeded, by 23 votes to 20.

A Denbighshire council spokesman said: “The closing date for receipt of nominations for the leadership will be 10am on Tuesday, October 30.”

A special meeting of the council will be held on Tuesday, November 6, to decide on a leader.

One touted candidate, former leader Eryl Williams, of Clawddnewydd, ruled himself out of contention at Monday’s emergency meeting, even adding he had “no intention of being a councillor with some of the people in this chamber”.

Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch councillor Paul Marfleet, said he would be interested in standing, under the right circumstances.

He said: “If members from other political groups want me, I would be prepared to do it..”